Compare Telluride Car Insurance Prices With These Tips

Are you intimidated by the dozens of car insurance company choices in Telluride? Many other consumers are too. Consumers have so many companies to choose from that it can turn into more work than you anticipated to find lower rates.

It's important to check car insurance prices every six months because rates are constantly changing. Just because you found the lowest price a few years ago you can probably find a better price now. There is a lot of wrong information about car insurance online, so I'm going to show you some great ways to quit paying high car insurance rates.

What determines how much you pay?

Consumers need to have an understanding of some of the elements that help determine your car insurance rates. When you know what positively or negatively impacts premium levels allows you to make educated decisions that may reward you with big savings.

The following are a partial list of the pieces companies use to determine rates.

  • Marriage brings a discount - Having a wife or husband can get you a discount when buying car insurance. It is viewed as being more responsible and statistics show being married results in fewer claims.
  • Liability coverage protects you - Liability coverage provides coverage if ever you are found to be at fault for damages from an accident. Liability provides legal defense which can cost thousands of dollars. This coverage is very inexpensive when compared with rates for comp and collision, so buy as much as you can afford.
  • Women pay lower rates - Statistics demonstrate women tend to be less risk to insure than men. However, this does not mean women are better drivers. They both are in accidents in similar numbers, but the males have costlier accidents. They also get cited for more serious violations such as reckless driving. Youthful male drivers are the most expensive to insure and are penalized with high car insurance rates.
  • What type of vehicle do you drive? - The performance level of the vehicle you own makes a big difference in how high your rates are. The lowest base rates are generally reserved for low performance passenger vehicles, but the cost you end up paying is determined by many additional factors.
  • How's your driving record? - Your driving citation history has a big impact on rates. Good drivers get better rates compared to drivers with tickets. Just one moving violation can increase rates forty percent or more. Drivers who have flagrant citations like DWI, reckless driving or hit and run convictions may need to submit a SR-22 form with their state motor vehicle department in order to keep their license.
  • Do you need those extra coverages? - There are a ton of extra coverages that you can buy on your policy. Things like rental car reimbursement, towing coverage and motor club memberships are examples of these. These may sound like a good investment initially, but if you don't need them remove them from your policy.

Are you getting all your discounts?

Companies offering auto insurance don't list all their discounts very well, so we researched some of the more common and also the lesser-known car insurance savings. If you don't get every credit possible, you are paying more than you should be.

  • Sign Online - A handful of insurance companies will give a small break for buying your policy online.
  • Multiple Vehicles - Buying coverage for multiple vehicles with the same company can get a discount on all vehicles.
  • No Charge for an Accident - Some insurance companies allow you one accident before hitting you with a surcharge as long as you don't have any claims for a particular time prior to the accident.
  • Early Switch Discount - Some companies give discounts for switching to them prior to your current policy expiration. It's a savings of about 10%.
  • Discount for Good Grades - This discount can be rewarded with saving of up to 25%. Earning this discount can benefit you well after school through age 25.
  • Driver Safety - Taking part in a driver safety course could possibly earn you a 5% discount if your company offers it.

As a disclaimer on discounts, most credits do not apply to all coverage premiums. The majority will only reduce specific coverage prices like liability, collision or medical payments. So even though it sounds like all those discounts means the company will pay you, car insurance companies aren't that generous.

To choose companies who offer car insurance discounts in Colorado, follow this link.

How can State Farm, GEICO and Progressive save drivers who switch?

Consumers can't ignore all the ads that promise big savings by companies like State Farm, GEICO and Progressive. They all seem to say the same thing about savings after switching to them.

But how can every company make the same claim? It's all in the numbers.

All the different companies are able to cherry pick for the type of driver that makes them money. For instance, a desirable insured could be between the ages of 30 and 50, has no driving citations, and has a short commute. A customer who fits that profile gets the lowest rates and as a result will probably save a lot of money.

Potential customers who are not a match for this ideal profile will have to pay a more expensive rate which usually ends up with business going elsewhere. Company advertisements say "customers who switch" not "everybody who quotes" save money. That's the way companies can truthfully make the claims of big savings. Because of the profiling, you should get a wide range of price quotes. Because you never know which car insurance company will fit your personal profile best.

Learn more about Colorado car insurance

Even more information is located at the Colorado DORA Division of Insurance website. Consumers can get help finding coverage, find out which companies have the most complaints, and learn about insurance regulations.

Other informative sites include this site for Colorado car insurance information and see this list of insurance agents in Telluride.

In the end, you save

Cheap car insurance can be sourced from both online companies and with local Telluride insurance agents, and you should compare price quotes from both to have the best rate selection. Some insurance providers do not offer online price quotes and most of the time these small, regional companies sell through independent agents.

We just showed you a lot of information how to save on car insurance. The most important thing to understand is the more rate comparisons you have, the better your comparison will be. You may even discover the lowest rates come from some of the smallest insurance companies.

As you shop your coverage around, don't be tempted to buy poor coverage just to save money. In many cases, someone sacrificed collision coverage and learned later that saving that couple of dollars actually costed them tens of thousands. Your aim should be to buy the best coverage you can find at the best price.